I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Once your skills have been honed to a certain level, you will suddenly be able to freely control your "power," just like how you can naturally learn to open and close your eyes even without anyone teaching you.

Qingdeng felt that he was currently stuck between the first and second stages, and there was no sign of him reaching the level that Zhou Zhu and the others had reached.

Chiba Eijiro seemed completely unsurprised by Aoto's answer.

He said softly, "I see," then raised his hand and gently pinched his chin, as if thinking: "...Tachibana-kun, are you free now?"

"Hmm?" Although he didn't understand why Chiba Eijiro suddenly asked him this, Aoto still nodded honestly. He had plenty of time today, as he was on vacation.

Seeing that Qing Deng nodded, Chiba Eijiro's lips slowly curled into a meaningful smile: "Since you happen to have some free time now... would you like to have a match with me?"

As soon as Chiba Eijiro said this, the hall was instantly enveloped in a silence so deep you could hear a pin drop.

Shusuke, Kondo, Okita... everyone, especially Aoto, was now showing expressions of utter astonishment.

Everyone stared in disbelief at Chiba Eijiro, who had suddenly extended a sparring invitation to Aoto.

All eyes turned to Chiba Eijiro in surprise once again, but he remained as composed as ever.

He said slowly:

"It's a rare opportunity to visit the Shieikan Museum, and I want to make sure I don't have any regrets."

"I don't have much time left in Edo."

"Having already served in the Mito Domain and become a member of it, I was able to return to Edo only after requesting a long leave from the domain government under the pretext of 'visiting relatives'."

"I will have to return to the Mito Domain by the middle of this month at the latest."

"Therefore, I really want to find out today what makes your 'momentum' so unusual."

"Since the 'momentum' you released in the previous sword competition was unconsciously released during the fierce battle with others... then another equally intense or even more intense competition might allow you to unconsciously release your 'momentum' once again."

"One of the main reasons I failed to recognize your 'momentum' at the recent sword competition was that I was sitting in the spectator stands far away, instead of standing right in front of you."

“This time, I will stand directly in front of you and directly experience your ‘power’. Then I should be able to understand what makes your ‘power’ so unique.”

"So, what do you... think, Tachibana-kun?"

A scene similar to the one just now repeated itself—after finishing speaking, Chiba Eijiro fell silent, staring into Aoto's eyes, quietly waiting for Aoto's response.

Qing Deng's eyes flickered slightly.

Even though the man before him was a renowned swordsman, far surpassing Qing Deng, who was only a minor figure in Edo, in terms of status and fame, Qing Deng showed no fear or arrogance when speaking to or looking into his eyes.

A jumble of emotions surged across Qing Deng's cheeks as his gaze flickered. After a short while, Qing Deng half-closed his eyes, exhaled a long breath, and then bowed slightly to Chiba Eijiro with utmost politeness.

"Then... please enlighten me!"

Qingdeng spoke each word clearly and forcefully.

Chiba Eijiro gave a peaceful smile.

……

……

Shieikan, Dojo—

Having accepted Chiba Eijiro's challenge, Aoto and the others moved from the main hall to the Shieikan dojo.

A duel between Chiba Eijiro, the "strongest swordsman in Edo," and others... This is something that is rare and hard to come by on ordinary days!

Faced with such a rare competition, Nagakura and the others stood enthusiastically by the dojo, eagerly and anxiously awaiting the start of the match. Even Saito, who was usually expressionless, showed a rare serious expression.

Aoto and Chiba Eijiro are currently standing together in a corner of the dojo.

"Okita-kun, could you please keep my swords safe for me?" Chiba Eijiro untied the two swords, one long and one short, that were hanging on his left waist and handed them to Okita, who was standing beside him.

Okita nodded slightly, then solemnly accepted the sword handed to him by Chiba Eijiro with both hands.

Chiba Eijiro's two swords, the wakizashi and the katana, are quite ordinary.

The hilt, guard, and scabbard are all painted in blue and white, and are decorated with exquisite and intricate carvings... Just by looking at the extremely gorgeous sword fittings, one can feel the extraordinary nature of this katana.

Just then, Aoto, who happened to be standing not far away, was involuntarily drawn to Chiba Eijiro's katana, and couldn't help but ask, "What a beautiful sword... Does it have a name?"

Chiba Eijiro smiled calmly: "Of course. The sword's name is: Zhen Yue Chang Guang. It's a precious sword that I went to great lengths to acquire, asking many people for help and spending a lot of money. Would you like to draw it and take a look?"

Chiba Eijiro actually asked him if he wanted to see his sword... After hesitating for a moment, Aoto nodded solemnly:

After politely saying, "Please allow me to presume to pay my respects," Qing Deng took the Zhen Yue Chang Guang from Okita's hand, gripped the scabbard with his left hand and the handle with his right, and with a "click," slowly drew the Zhen Yue Chang Guang from its scabbard.

Clang, clang, clang—!

The high-pitched clang of the sword, like the clear, resonant song of a lark, lingered in the air above the dojo, refusing to dissipate for a long time.

A dazzling flash of light instantly filled Qing Deng's field of vision.

The blade is neither narrow nor wide, with a shallow curve and no sharp edges; the leaping, mountain-shaped blade pattern exudes a dignified air.

Qing Deng was not a professional swordsmith or appraiser, but even an amateur like him could see the excellence of this sword.

Zhenyue Changguang... Qingdeng found this sword name to be absolutely brilliant.

Whether it's due to the use of special materials or different forging methods, the light of Zhenyue Changguang's blade gives people a very soft feeling—like moonlight.

However, beneath this gentle "moonlight" lurks a surging murderous intent.

The extremely sharp blade flashed with a chilling light, giving one the strong illusion that if one's gaze met that light, it would be cut in two.

When admiring someone else's knife, there is an unwritten rule that you must follow if you don't want to be killed—don't speak, and it's best to even slow down your breathing.

The reason for this is that when you speak, your spittle could easily land on someone else's knife, which is extremely impolite and almost tantamount to provoking others.

Therefore, after carefully examining the blade of the Blade of the Moonlit Night and sheathing it, Qing Deng finally breathed a sigh of relief and sincerely praised Chiba Eijiro:

"What a fine knife..."

In terms of quality alone, Qingdeng felt that the Dingguishen he was currently using was far inferior to this Zhenyue Changguang.

"Haha, thank you for the compliment." Chiba Eijiro chuckled a few times and then said half-jokingly, "This sword is indeed a good sword, but it's a pity that it's a little too light. If it were a bit heavier, then this Zhen Yue Chang Guang would be perfect for me."

Aoto admires Chiba Eijiro's Fluttering Moonlight... This is just a small episode in the two's pre-battle preparations.

After putting down all the miscellaneous items they were carrying and tightening their sleeves with their cuffs, Aoto and Chiba Eijiro stepped into the center of the dojo one after the other.

Zhou Zhu personally served as the referee for this trial match.

Aoto adjusted his gauntlets and then quietly waited for Chiba Eijiro to put on his protective gear.

Chiba Eijiro was a little slower than Aoto; he had just finished putting on his armor.

As Chiba Eijiro calmly and unhurriedly put on his armor, a fiery light flashed uncontrollably in Aoto's eyes.

I'm about to face off against "Edo's strongest swordsman"... Every time this thought crossed Qing Deng's mind, he felt his heart beat a little faster.

He accepted Chiba Eijiro's challenge mainly for three reasons.

The first reason is that after Chiba Eijiro pointed out that his "power" was different from that of ordinary people, Qing Deng couldn't help but wonder: Why was his "power" different from others? What exactly was different about him?

Qingdeng's understanding of "momentum" is still very vague. If he wants to figure this out, he can only ask for help from the only man in front of him who can see that his "momentum" is different from others.

Therefore, in order to clear up the doubts in his mind, Qing Deng was happy to try to unleash his "power" in front of Chiba Eijiro once again.

The second reason is that he wanted to replicate Chiba Eijiro's talent.

With his outstanding achievements, Chiba Eijiro earned the title of "Strongest in Edo" at a young age through sheer strength. Qing Deng would never believe that he didn't possess some special talent!

At this moment, Qing Deng couldn't help but look forward to it—hoping to see what kind of talent he could replicate from Chiba Eijiro.

As for the third reason... it was the main reason why Qing Deng's eyes were flashing with a fiery light at this moment - he really wanted to experience firsthand just how strong this man, who was known as "the strongest in Edo"!

Qing Deng had only heard about Chiba Eijiro's strength; he had never witnessed Chiba Eijiro's power firsthand.

So, Qing Deng had long been curious: just how strong was this man who was recognized by everyone as the "strongest in Edo"?

Just how powerful must a man be to be recognized as the strongest?

And now... this extremely precious opportunity to personally witness Chiba Eijiro's strength is right in front of Aoto!

How could Qingdeng not be excited? How could he not be looking forward to it?

Qingdeng's fighting spirit has transformed into an invisible flame, burning in his eyes!

With a slightly anxious wait, Chiba Eijiro finally managed to put on his protective gear.

He clenched his fists a few times to make sure the gauntlets were secure, then smiled slightly at Qingdeng: "Are you ready?"

Qingdeng: "I'm ready to teach you anytime!"

Chiba Eijiro nodded with a smile, then tilted his head and gestured with his eyes to Shusuke, who was standing between the two of them.

Zhou Zhu was also quite decisive.

Before the competition began, both Aoto and Chiba Eijiro indicated that they didn't need to go through the proper formalities of bowing, so after seeing that the two were ready, Shusuke simply raised his hand and took a deep breath—

"start!"

Both Aoto and Chiba Eijiro adopted the middle stance.

After Shusuke's "Beginning" was delivered, Chiba Eijiro swiftly switched his stance to a lower stance, instantly concealing his bamboo sword in the shadows of his body.

In the instant he switched stances, his tall body strode forward like the wind!

The bamboo sword slid upwards, cutting a black line straight towards Qing Deng's waist and abdomen.

Qingdeng had no time to dodge and could only hold the bamboo sword upright in front of his chest.

Bang!

The bamboo swords clashed, producing a dry sound.

Although he successfully deflected Chiba Eijiro's slash, Aoto's posture became unstable due to his hasty defensive stance, and he uncontrollably took half a step back.

With just one sword strike, Qing Deng was already at a disadvantage.

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Chapter 162 Fierce Battle Against Chiba Eijiro! Copy Talent [Gathering Spirit] [7600]

So fast!